The proposal is to amend the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) 1997 State Trust Lands Habitat Conservation Plan to include a long-term conservation strategy for the marbled murrelet. DNR and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) are serving as co-lead agencies for purposes of environmental review under both the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

Draft Environmental Impact Statement

The Long-Term Conservation Strategy for the Marbled Murrelet Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) documents the lead agencies' analysis of the proposal and provides an opportunity for agencies, affected tribes and the public to review the document and provide suggestions for improving the adequacy of the environmental analysis.

Public comments on this proposed DEIS are being accepted between December 2, 2016, and 5:00 p.m. on March 9, 2017. Comments should be submitted to the SEPA Center at sepacenter@dnr.wa.gov or SEPA Center, PO Box 47015, Olympia, WA 98504-7015. Please include the file number "12-042001" on all comments. The subject line of comments send by email should include "SEPA File No. 12-042001."

Marbled Murrelet Webinar

Process

Scoping Phases

The planning process for the project began with establishing the scope of the environmental review under both state and federal processes. DNR expanded the scoping process into two phases. The use of expanded scoping is intended to enhance public and agency participation in identifying the scope of an EIS.

Phase One Scoping

The first phase focused on receiving input for the project's need, purpose and objectives, the environmental impacts that should be considered and existing environmental information relevant to analysis.

Public meetings were held in late April and early May 2012 in the four DNR adminstrative regions included in the proposal: Olympia, Sedro-Woolley, Cathlamet and Forks.

Phase Two Scoping

Phase Two scoping materials presented alternative concepts that represent distinct conservation approaches to a long-term conservation strategy, each of which would be consistent with the approved Need, Purpose, and Objectives. A No Action concept also was presented. These conceptual alternatives were described in the Phase Two scoping notice.

Final EIS

The final EIS will provide decision-makers with environmental information about a proposal to help them decide whether to approve the proposal, approve it with conditions (mitigation), or deny the proposal. It is the lead agency's record of environmental analysis conducted for the proposal.